


Who Are You? I'm Canada

by aricasuntoast



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Confusing, Fluff, brotherly love lol, may cause headache
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 19:51:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2163048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aricasuntoast/pseuds/aricasuntoast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canada is nothing. And that's not symbolism. He is only a lifeform with no definite shape or size, an entity, like the stuff you see on Star Trek. No one can see – or really, sense him – and that's how he intends to stay…until America comes along.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who Are You? I'm Canada

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! I wrote this a few weeks ago, and I'm uploading it now in apologies because I was updating Arthur vs. W Academy, but now school's started so I can't get around to writing.

America was taking a stroll in the fields, enjoying how beautiful the day was. The weather was perfect, the scenery was perfect, his mood was perfect – until he walked into something.

Or nothing.

"Who's there?" America shouted, looking around in alarm. Nothing had touched him, yet he felt something in the air.

"No one's supposed to sense me!" something said. He spun around in surprise. Where was this voice coming from?

"Where are you? Show yourself!" America yelled. He wasn't afraid to take on this unseen enemy.

"I can't. I…I don't exist." it said. "I do exist, but at the same time I don't."

America moved around slightly, and he found an angle where a patch of the sky was slightly tinted. He reached out and grabbed air. But it felt somewhat solid but there was nothing in his hand.

"Ow, that hurts!" it screamed.

"You can feel me?"

"Yes. What are you?"

"I don't know."

"Where are you?"

"I don't know."

"Where did you come from?"

"I don't know. Perhaps the universe. I could be the universe, and it me."

"Are you nothing?"

"I could be. But I am not. I am not anything nor I am nothing."

"What does that mean?"

"I can be anything, but I can't be anything. I am merely a presence."

"If you're nothing, that means you have no limitations."

"I suppose."

"If you're not nothing, you have to be something."

"I guess so."

"Can you be anything else besides air?"

"I'm not air. But yes, I can be water." It changed into water, and droplets came out from the thin air, collecting in America's palms. "I can be fire." The water vanished and swirled into fire. America was afraid to be burned but somehow he held it in his hands.

"What else can you be?"

"I can be a pile of shit–" It started to transform, solidifying and turning brown. America dropped it.

"That's not funny!" It laughed, changing once again into nothing but something. "How big are you?"

"Since I am nothing, I can take on anything. I could be the entire universe, like I said. But I am nothing."

"Dude, you're freaking me out. Can you just choose to be something forever?"

"It is not my natural state. If I be water I will not be water as much as water is water."

"What about a living thing, like a tree?"

"I can be a tree." A full-grown sequoia sprouted from the ground, knocking America off his feet. "But if I am a tree I will stay an unmoving tree forever. I am nothing and nothing moves forever. I am everything but I am not."

"Do you have a name?" America asked.

"It depends."

"It depends on what?"

"If I am something that is nothing."

He started to hate that dumb answer it always gave. "Can you be something forever?"

"I can, if I tried. But something cannot last forever and when it ends I will be nothing."

"Won't you have an end too?"

"Things that are something have an end. I am nothing so I do not have an end."

"So you're immortal."

"If something was immortal I am not immortal because I am not something but nothing."

"Can you change into something so we can stop calling you nothing, and therefore stop giving me a headache?"

"Like what? I am noth–"

"I got it, I got it!" America groaned. "Can't you be like a human or something, dude?"

"I told you, I cannot be 'a something–'"

"It was an expression!" America was on the verge of tears. He wanted to walk away and forget about it, but he wanted to help. He was stuck in the middle like it.

"I can try to be a human, but what is a dude?"

"A guy, like me. A bro, a man, a boy, a male." He watched it spin into something, and spin into nothing, making changes to its human form. It formed arms, and connected to a torso. It apparently worked out because it had a defined abdomen. America figured it – or will be a he – would be attractive. It worked its way up, and down. It dipped down, forming a perfect V-line and designing a crotch. America became antsy. But then it stopped. It stopped before anything good happened, and a torso floated in front of him. "Why did you stop?"

"My…head…" It said. There was only a neck. "I do not know what my face will look like."

"You should copy my face. Everyone falls for my cute looks." America said, cheekily smiling. It continued, creating a head with a face and hair. It didn't exactly look like him but it was good to have a sense of individuality. Wavy, dark blond hair curled past his eyes, and eyelids fluttered open to reveal violet eyes. The rest of his body was completed, and a _solid_ lifeform stood before him. "Are you something?" America asked.

"I have the appearance of something, but still I am nothing." The image disappeared.

"No, come back!" America yelled, tears forming in his eyes. He felt like he had given life to this nothing, and he was gone. It/He reformed. "Hi again." It/He put on glasses that had formed out of nothing, or something, or it/him. "Let's get you some clothes. Or can you make it yourself?"

"Clothes are something but nothing as well. I am living but I am nothing but something, while clothes are something but non-living. If I tried–"

"Just come with me." America reluctantly took its/his hand, fearing it was actually nothing (but something). "I have some clothes, but I don't know what you'd like. What do you like?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you have a personality?"

"I don't know. Living things have personalities, and I am living but I am not. I am something but I am–"

"You can at least try."

"I will."

"You said you'd have a name if you were something."

"I am something but I–" "Who are you?" America angrily asked, tiring of dealing with that.

"I'm Canada." He finally said.

* * *

America closed his laptop and laid down on his couch, ready to take a nap. It was a day full of eating and blogging, and it was tiring. His front door slammed open.

"America! America, where are you?" He heard someone call.

"Yeah, what is it?" He answered.

"Another person thought I was you and tried to take out their anger on me!" Canada yelled. "Can you not be such an asshole so I don't get beat up?" America sat up to see Canada stomping into the living room and leaning in the archway.

"Hey!" America shouted, suddenly reciprocating the anger his brother gave off. "It's your fault you look like me! I can be an asshole whenever I want, to whoever I want! I'm something and not nothing!"

Canada's eyes darkened. "It was you who told me to model my human form after you!"

"Then change it!" He growled.

"I can't; I've chosen this body!"

"Then don't be a human anymore! You're something but nothing, right? Go back to being nothing! Nothing and _not_ but something! I don't want you anymore!" America screamed. "Without me, no one would have ever noticed you! So if you don't like me, you can pretend you never met me, and be nothing again!" It was true. America was the first person to sense him, and after that, he was acknowledged by others, even if he was mistaken for his kind of a brother. But his words stung really badly.

"Fine. I'll be nothing. But something too!" His body started to disintegrate. "I can get you anytime I want. I am everything, America."

"You're nothing, you hear me? Nothing!" America shouted as he watched the last of Canada disappear into nothing without a name. "You noticed _me_! You replied to me, when I thought you were just nothing, _which you are_!" He didn't know if he heard it or not, but he was still something, so he probably did. He breathed heavily, stressed out by the huge argument he just had with Canada.

Or nothing.

But something.

Somethings had feelings, too. And both Canada and America had them. America slid back to the couch, tears slipping out and rolling down his cheeks. He had spent a few years teaching Canada everything he knew, and England and France became his models too. He was a good little brother, and a good friend too. He didn't know where he was, or who he was. Canada was no longer a he, and no longer Canada. It was an it. But it was always Canada, like he was nothing but always will be something. The thought of that always gave him a headache, and he cried even harder.

"I don't need him, or it." America said to himself, or possibly Canada/it/nothing/something.

The next few days the others kept asking where he was, but America didn't have the heart to tell them he was an it, and it was nothing, and nothing was something. It was too complicated anyway. He also noticed they knew who he was, and he was different from him.

"See? They don't think you're me." America said, hoping he/it would hear him. "You're something, alright." A week and a half had passed, and America was no longer angry. He had tried convincing him/it he was not nothing. Now he was desperate and regretting yelling at him/it. He was scared, and sad, and wanted him back. He was all sorts of emotions, and felt like nothing.

"I can relate to you, Canada. I'm all this when I'm not all this." America said. He looked up when he talked to Canada/it/himself, wishing he'd see that familiar tint. "Please come back, Canada. I'm sorry. You don't even need to come back as a human if you don't wanna look like me. Be a dog or a burger. Even that 'nothing but something' bullshit would make me happy."

Two months had passed, and there was still no sign of him. England visited his house to check up on him. "Canada's been gone for a long time, America." He said.

"You're not telling me something."

"By telling you nothing, I'm telling you something, aren't I?" America said. He laughed. He had caught on to this 'presence of nothing and everything' thing.

"America? Are you alright?"

"Canada is nothing, but he's something." America told him the entire story, including their nasty argument. He choked back tears just talking about it.

"You should have told me earlier," England said. "You know I have powers and I can connect to anything with a spirit."

"You can talk to him?"

"I can, but only if he wants to talk too." The two held hands and tried to channel him. "America, I'm sorry. I can sense he can and will talk, but I can't find him."

"What the hell do you mean?!" America questioned. "He's everything!"

"I know, but he's nothing. He's not even anything, America, I'm sorry."

"No, no! He's here! I know it!" America grabbed England and lifted him by the collar. He dropped him and collapsed too, and sobbed in England's arms. Four months had gone by, and America was still not over it. You can't easily get over nothing. Especially when that nothing is something that is nothing.

"If you ever need to talk again, just call me, okay?" France told him as he gave him platters of French food. "We all miss him."

America got home and put the dishes on his counter. He loved France's food. Everyone did. Even Canada. He sighed.

"AMERICAAAA!" a voice erupted into his thoughts, burning into his mind, shaking his body. It was so loud he dropped the food and the plates smashed as they hit the ground.

"Canada!" America screamed, and saw a tint forming in the air. He immediately grabbed at it and yanked it down. The swirl turned into his human form and a body fell from the air. "Canada, is that you? You're something, right?"

"America, I've been trying to talk to you for the longest time." Canada said, crying. "No one would hear me. It was like I was nothing. Then I became nothing."

"You lost your something after all? Is that why England couldn't contact you?"

"I guess. I actually was nothing. And being nothing is horrible. I even lost my voice, and thoughts. All I knew was that I'm nothing. And I _was_ something."

America hugged Canada. "Never call yourself nothing, okay? You're something, to me. I'm sorry."

"I'm something, I'm something. I'm not nothing." Canada repeated, holding an also crying America in his arms.

"Who…are you?" America asked, staring at his brother with teary, sky blue eyes.

"I'm Canada."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if I made your head hurt. I wasn't gonna write that second part, but then I was like, "Oh it's not angsty enough." I'll finish the next chapter of Arthur vs. W Academy around the weekends. I refuse to let it go on a hiatus!


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